Indian in UAE unable to pay hospital bills

An uninsured Indian man in the UAE has run up more than USD 160,000 in medical bills after he suffered a brain haemorrhage and spent about six months in an Abu Dhabi hospital, a media report said.

The hospital, however, says it is not demanding the money and he should just go home.

Shariq Alvi, 26, was found unconscious on the bathroom floor by his family. A medical investigation at the Lifeline Hospital in the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) capital found that a a blood vessel in his brain had ruptured, The National reported Sunday.

Since Shariq had just resigned from a job in a bank to join another company, he had no medical insurance at the time the incident happened.

For the last six months, Shariq's condition has been improving gradually and doctors have now decided to discharge him. But his parents say the medical bill has come to 600,000 dirhams (more than USD 160,000), which they just cannot pay.

Mahboob Alvi, Shariq's father, said: "Shariq's former colleagues have cooperated with us a lot. They collected about 22,000 dirhams to support us but this is not enough... We need to pay about 600,000 dirhams to the hospital."

The hospital management, however, says it never demanded the fees.

"Shariq has been with us since the past six months and we are taking care of him as our family member," said Lalu Chacko, medical director of the hospital.

"We never asked them to pay the bill. We just want them to take their child home and take care of him."

Chacko said the hospital has "done all that is necessary".

"He is, in fact, our longest ever in-patient at the hospital... Now he is medically fit to go home. He needs family affection and comfort for recovery."

According to the doctors, Shariq would be able to live a normal life again.

"But he cannot stay anymore in the hospital," Chacko said.

"The more he stays the more he will be in danger of different kinds of infections. His immune system is very low because of his illness."

"We are very sensitive and responsible about each of our patients, regardless of their financial status," Chacko added.